US20200347525A1 - Actuator device, actuator band, and method for manufacturing actuator band - Google Patents
Actuator device, actuator band, and method for manufacturing actuator band Download PDFInfo
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- US20200347525A1 US20200347525A1 US16/935,180 US202016935180A US2020347525A1 US 20200347525 A1 US20200347525 A1 US 20200347525A1 US 202016935180 A US202016935180 A US 202016935180A US 2020347525 A1 US2020347525 A1 US 2020347525A1
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- band
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- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims description 21
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- 229920000092 linear low density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 claims description 6
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Images
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D03—WEAVING
- D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
- D03D9/00—Open-work fabrics
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D02—YARNS; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; WARPING OR BEAMING
- D02G—CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, OR YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS
- D02G3/00—Yarns or threads, e.g. fancy yarns; Processes or apparatus for the production thereof, not otherwise provided for
- D02G3/22—Yarns or threads characterised by constructional features, e.g. blending, filament/fibre
- D02G3/38—Threads in which fibres, filaments, or yarns are wound with other yarns or filaments, e.g. wrap yarns, i.e. strands of filaments or staple fibres are wrapped by a helically wound binder yarn
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D03—WEAVING
- D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
- D03D1/00—Woven fabrics designed to make specified articles
-
- D03D15/02—
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04B—KNITTING
- D04B1/00—Weft knitting processes for the production of fabrics or articles not dependent on the use of particular machines; Fabrics or articles defined by such processes
- D04B1/14—Other fabrics or articles characterised primarily by the use of particular thread materials
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04B—KNITTING
- D04B1/00—Weft knitting processes for the production of fabrics or articles not dependent on the use of particular machines; Fabrics or articles defined by such processes
- D04B1/22—Weft knitting processes for the production of fabrics or articles not dependent on the use of particular machines; Fabrics or articles defined by such processes specially adapted for knitting goods of particular configuration
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04B—KNITTING
- D04B21/00—Warp knitting processes for the production of fabrics or articles not dependent on the use of particular machines; Fabrics or articles defined by such processes
- D04B21/20—Warp knitting processes for the production of fabrics or articles not dependent on the use of particular machines; Fabrics or articles defined by such processes specially adapted for knitting articles of particular configuration
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04C—BRAIDING OR MANUFACTURE OF LACE, INCLUDING BOBBIN-NET OR CARBONISED LACE; BRAIDING MACHINES; BRAID; LACE
- D04C1/00—Braid or lace, e.g. pillow-lace; Processes for the manufacture thereof
- D04C1/02—Braid or lace, e.g. pillow-lace; Processes for the manufacture thereof made from particular materials
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
- D04C—BRAIDING OR MANUFACTURE OF LACE, INCLUDING BOBBIN-NET OR CARBONISED LACE; BRAIDING MACHINES; BRAID; LACE
- D04C1/00—Braid or lace, e.g. pillow-lace; Processes for the manufacture thereof
- D04C1/06—Braid or lace serving particular purposes
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F03G7/00—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for
- F03G7/06—Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02N—ELECTRIC MACHINES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H02N10/00—Electric motors using thermal effects
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B3/00—Ohmic-resistance heating
- H05B3/40—Heating elements having the shape of rods or tubes
- H05B3/54—Heating elements having the shape of rods or tubes flexible
- H05B3/56—Heating cables
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
- D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
- D10B2401/00—Physical properties
- D10B2401/04—Heat-responsive characteristics
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05B—ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- H05B2203/00—Aspects relating to Ohmic resistive heating covered by group H05B3/00
- H05B2203/014—Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E20/00—Combustion technologies with mitigation potential
- Y02E20/14—Combined heat and power generation [CHP]
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an actuator device, an actuator band, and a method for manufacturing the actuator band.
- Patent Literature 1 discloses coiled and non-coiled twisted nanofiber yarn and polymer fiber torsional and tensile actuators.
- Maki Hiraoka et al. disclose a coiled polymer fiber formed of linear low density polyethylene. According to Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2, the coiled polymer fiber is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat.
- Patent Literature 2 discloses an actuator capable of contracting in the axial direction thereof.
- Patent Literature 1 discloses an example in which a plurality of coiled polymer fibers are arranged to provide an arbitrary generated force.
- a loss such as bondage of movement generated due to friction or entanglement between the fibers may occur.
- a contraction ratio of the coiled polymer fiber namely, the fiber formed of a polymer, is as large as possible.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator device and an actuator band each having a large ratio of a contraction ratio to initial tension, and a method for manufacturing the actuator band.
- the actuator device comprises:
- the actuator band comprises a plurality of actuator single wires
- the plurality of the actuator single wires are braided, knitted or woven;
- first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires are connected to each other;
- each of the plurality of the actuator single wires comprises an actuator wire and a mesh-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises a plurality of heating wires;
- the actuator wire is formed of a fiber consisting of a polymer
- the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil
- the actuator wire is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat
- a first end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a first end of the actuator wire
- a second end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a second end of the actuator wire
- control device is configured to supply, to the mesh-shaped heating element, electric power for heating the mesh-shaped heating element
- the actuator band is configured to be contracted along the longitudinal direction thereof by the heat in a state where tension has been applied along the longitudinal direction thereof.
- the actuator band according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of actuator single wires, wherein
- the plurality of the actuator single wires are braided, knitted or woven;
- first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires are connected to each other;
- each of the plurality of the actuator single wires comprises an actuator wire, and a mesh-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises a plurality of heating wires;
- the actuator wire is formed of a fiber consisting of a polymer
- the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil
- the actuator wire is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat
- a first end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a first end of the actuator wire
- a second end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a second end of the actuator wire.
- the method for manufacturing an actuator band according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises:
- the actuator wire is formed by twisting a plurality of fibers each consisting of a polymer with each other;
- each of the plurality of the fibers is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- each of the plurality of the fibers is folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape
- the present invention provides an actuator device and an actuator band each having a large ratio of a contraction ratio to initial tension, and a method for manufacturing the actuator band.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator device according to an embodiment.
- FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing an actuator single wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the actuator single wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a heating wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a mesh-shaped heating element provided in the actuator single wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuator single wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuator single wire according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator band according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a state in which the actuator band according to the embodiment is not heated.
- FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a state in which the actuator band according to the embodiment has been heated.
- FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a testing device which is used for a heating test.
- FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator device according to comparative example 1.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator device 60 according to the embodiment.
- the actuator device 60 according to the embodiment comprises an actuator band 1 and a control device 5 .
- the actuator band 1 comprises a plurality of actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b .
- the actuator device 60 will be described.
- FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2 B- 2 B indicated in FIG. 2A .
- the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b comprises an actuator wire 11 formed by twisting two coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b with each other and a mesh-shaped heating element 12 provided on a side surface of the actuator wire 11 .
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is formed of a plurality of heating wires 21 a and 21 b.
- the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b are sometimes referred to as the actuator single wire(s) 13 without distinction.
- the heating wires 21 a and 21 b are sometimes referred to as the heating wire(s) 21 without distinction.
- Both the coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b are sometimes referred to as a coiled polymer fiber(s) 111 without distinction.
- Patent Literature 3 For the details of the actuator wire 11 , see Patent Literature 3, which precedes the present patent application.
- Patent Literature 3 i.e., Japanese Patent Publication No. 6111438
- United States Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0245145 which corresponds to Patent Literature 3, are incorporated herein by reference.
- the actuator wire 11 is disclosed in Non-Patent Literature 1.
- actuator wire 11 and “heating element 12 ” used in the present specification correspond to the terms “fiber” and “temperature regulator” used in Patent Literature 3, respectively.
- the actuator wire 11 may be composed of a coiled polymer fiber 111 (see FIG. 3 ) formed of linear low density polyethylene.
- the actuator wire 11 is contracted by heat and restored by the release of the heat.
- the actuator wire 11 having one end to which 10 MPa of weight has been applied is heated to 90 degrees Celsius, the actuator wire 11 is contracted by approximately 23%.
- the actuator wire 11 is cooled to room temperature, the actuator wire 11 is restored to its original length.
- the actuator wire 11 may be heated to a temperature of, for example, not less than 30 degrees Celsius and not more than 100 degrees Celsius.
- the material of the coiled polymer fiber 111 is not limited to linear low density polyethylene, and may be a polymer having an anisotropic thermal expansion characteristic.
- material of the coiled polymer fiber 111 include polyethylene (for example, low density polyethylene or high density polyethylene), nylon (for example, nylon 6, nylon 6,6, or nylon 12), polyester, and elastomer (for example, silicone rubber).
- polyethylene for example, low density polyethylene or high density polyethylene
- nylon for example, nylon 6, nylon 6,6, or nylon 12
- polyester for example, polyester 6, and elastomer (for example, silicone rubber).
- FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the actuator wire 11 according to the embodiment.
- the actuator wire 11 may be composed of at least one coiled polymer fiber 111 .
- the actuator wire 11 may be composed of two coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b integrated so as to be twisted with each other.
- the actuator wire 11 may be composed of two or more coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b that have been twisted with each other around the long axis thereof.
- the actuator wire 11 may be formed by twisting the two or more coiled polymer fibers 111 in such a manner that a side surface of one twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 a is brought into contact with a side surface of another twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 b.
- the coiled polymer fiber 111 is twisted around the long axis thereof and folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape (helical shape). As described in Patent Literature 3, the coiled polymer fiber 111 satisfies the following formula (I).
- D represents an average diameter of the cylindrical coil of the coiled polymer fiber 111
- d represents a diameter of the coiled polymer fiber 111 . Due to this relationship, a displacement rate of the actuator wire 11 can be increased.
- the average diameter D is provided by subtracting the diameter d of the coiled polymer fiber 111 from an outer diameter D 1 of the cylindrical coil.
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 covers the side surface of the actuator wire 11 . It is desirable that the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is cylindrical so as to include the actuator wire 11 therein.
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is composed of a plurality of the heating wires 21 a and 21 b .
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is formed by braiding, knitting, or weaving a plurality of heating wires 21 a and 21 b.
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the heating wire 21 according to the embodiment.
- the heating wire 21 comprises a non-conductive elastic yarn 51 which serves as a core yarn, and a metal wire 52 which covers the circumference of the elastic yarn 51 .
- the heating wire 21 is manufactured by a known covering processing machine using the elastic yarn 51 as the core yarn and the metal wire 52 as a sheath yarn.
- the covering means that the metal wire 52 is wound around the elastic yarn 51 in an S direction or a Z direction.
- the heating wire 21 in which one line of the metal wire 52 has been wound around the elastic yarn 51 is referred to as a single covering heating wire. Note that the metal wire 52 alone may be used as the heating wire 21 .
- FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the mesh-shaped heating element 12 provided in the actuator single wire 13 according to the embodiment.
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 may be formed of a plurality of the heating wires 21 a and 21 b . It is desirable that the plurality of the heating wires 21 a and 21 b intersect each other in such a manner that the heating element 12 has a shape of a mesh as a whole.
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 5 is formed by braiding the plurality of the heating wires 21 a and 21 b .
- the heating element 12 may be formed by knitting the plurality of the heating wires 21 or may be formed by weaving the plurality of the heating wires 21 .
- two heating wires 21 a and two heating wires 21 b are braided so as to be helically wound around the outer side surface of the actuator wire 11 .
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 that covers the outer side surface of the actuator wire 11 is configured.
- the heating wires 21 a are braided clockwise, and the heating wires 21 b are braided counterclockwise.
- the heating wires 21 a and the heating wires 21 b are braided so as to be opposite to each other around the actuator wire 11 .
- the heating element 12 is configured by braiding three or more heating wires 21 .
- each heating wire 21 is configured by covering the circumference of the elastic yarn 51 with the metal wire 52 which is used as a sheath yarn, and may have a coil (i.e., helical) shape. In addition, each heating wire 21 may have a shape of yarn.
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 according to the embodiment.
- each heating wire 21 has a shape of a rectangular wave, and the plurality of the heating wires 21 are knitted so as to form the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the heating wire 21 knitted in this way may be wound around the outer side surface of the actuator wire 11 .
- FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing another examples of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 according to the embodiment.
- Each of the heating wires 21 a and 21 b may have a shape of an elongated plate (namely, a shape of a belt).
- the plurality of the heating wires 21 a and 21 b are woven so as to be helically wound around the outer side surface of the actuator wire 11 .
- the heating wires 21 a and 21 b woven in this way may be wound around the outer side surface of the actuator wire 11 .
- FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuator single wire 13 according to the embodiment.
- the actuator single wire 13 shown in FIG. 9A is formed of one actuator wire 11 formed of one coiled polymer fiber 111 and three heating wires 21 provided around the one actuator wire 11 .
- Three heating wires 21 are arranged around the actuator wires 11 evenly at substantially equal angular intervals.
- FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuator single wire 13 according to the embodiment.
- one actuator wire 11 is illustrated by one circle.
- the actuator single wire 13 is formed of the actuator wire 11 formed by twisting the two coiled polymer fibers with each other and four heating wires 21 provided around the actuator wire 11 .
- the four heating wires 21 are arranged evenly at substantially equal angular intervals.
- the plurality of the heating wires 21 are evenly arranged around the actuator wire 11 , so that the actuator wire 11 can be heated more uniformly. As a result, a high contraction ratio of the actuator band 1 can be realized.
- the actuator band 1 comprises the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b .
- the actuator band 1 shown in FIG. 1 has braided stitches each formed by the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b which intersect each other.
- the actuator band 1 is formed by flat braiding of nine actuator single wires 13 .
- the actuator band 1 may be formed by tubular braiding of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 .
- a first connector 4 a is provided at first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b .
- the first connector 4 a is connected to a first end of the actuator band 1 . Due to this connection, a first end of the cylindrical heating element 12 is connected to first ends of the plurality of the actuator wires 11 .
- a second connector 4 b is provided at a second end of the actuator band 1 .
- the second connector 4 b is connected to the second end of the actuator band 1 . Due to this connection, a second end of the cylindrical heating element 12 is connected to second ends of the plurality of the actuator wires 11 .
- the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b are electrically connected to the control device 5 via electric wires.
- the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b are, for example, crimp terminals.
- the crimp terminal include a fork crimp terminal and a ring crimp terminal. It is desirable that the crimp terminal is formed of a metal. In this case, the heat from the heating element 12 can be released through the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b , and burnout of both ends of the actuator band 1 can be suppressed.
- the control device 5 supplies electric power to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 to heat the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the control device 5 may comprise a power source for supplying the electric power to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the electric power supplied to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is alternating current power or direct current power.
- the control device 5 may further comprise a switch. While the switch is on, electric power is supplied to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 . While the switch is off, electric power is not supplied to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the heating wire 21 is provided using the elastic yarn 51 as a core yarn and the metal wire 52 as a sheath yarn.
- the heating wire 21 is braided around the side surface of the actuator wire 11 to provide the actuator single wire 13 comprising the actuator wire 11 and the mesh-shaped heating element 12 which covers the surface of the actuator wire 11 .
- the actuator single wire 13 is formed by a well-known braider.
- the braider comprises a bobbin and a pulley. From the bobbin, the actuator wire 11 to which tension has been applied is supplied. The actuator wire 11 is guided by the pulley. Subsequently, the actuator wire 11 is wound together with the plurality of the heating wires 21 , while the plurality of the heating wires 21 are supplied around the side surface of the actuator wire 11 via circular disks and spindles. In this way, the actuator single wire 13 comprising the actuator wire 11 and the mesh-shaped heating element 12 which covers the side surface of the actuator wire 11 is provided.
- the actuator single wire 13 formed by the above method is wound around a bobbin.
- the actuator band 1 is manufactured.
- the actuator band 1 can also be produced by “knitting” or “weaving” the actuator single wire 13 , for example.
- the actuator band 1 may be formed with a tubular braider.
- a plurality of wires are braided in a belt shape using an odd number of bobbins
- a plurality of wires are braided in a cylindrical shape using an even number of bobbins.
- the odd number of bobbins may include empty bobbins.
- the even number of bobbins may include empty bobbins.
- the dummy wire should be as thin as possible. As the dummy wire is thinner, loss of the amount of the work of the actuator band 1 generated due to the dummy wire can be decreased.
- the actuator band 1 is cut to a desired length.
- the actuator band 1 is cut in such a way that the length along a first axis x 1 direction from the first end of the actuator band 1 to the second end thereof is longer than the length (width) in the second axis x 2 direction perpendicular to the first axis x 1 direction (see FIG. 10 ).
- the first axis x 1 direction is a longitudinal direction of the actuator band 1
- the second axis x 2 direction is a short direction of the actuator band 1 .
- the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b are attached to both ends of the actuator band 1 which has been cut to the desired length. In this way, the actuator member 68 is provided.
- the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b are electrically connected to the control device 5 via electric wires. In this way, the actuator device 60 is manufactured.
- a weight 6 is connected to the second connector 4 b , which has been attached to the first end of the actuator band 1 , via an electric wire W. Due to the weight 6 , the actuator band 1 is provided with a predetermined tension and is turned into a tensioned state. In other words, a tension along the first axis x 1 direction has been applied to the actuator band 1 with the weight 6 .
- FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the actuator band 1 according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a state in which the actuator band 1 according to the embodiment is not heated.
- FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a state in which the actuator band 1 has been heated.
- each of the braided stitches forms substantially rhombus shapes each having an expanded diagonal line in the direction of the first axis x 1 of the actuator band 1 .
- the actuator band 1 is in an expanded state.
- the length of the actuator band 1 in the first axis x 1 direction is L 0 (see FIG. 11A ).
- the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b intersect with each other to form the braided stitches.
- the axis A 1 along the actuator single wire 13 a is inclined by an angle 81 with respect to the first axis x 1
- the axis A 2 along the actuator single wire 13 b is inclined by an angle 82 with respect to the first axis x 1
- the intersection angle including the first axis x 1 is ( ⁇ 1 + ⁇ 2 )
- the intersection angle including the second axis x 2 is (180° ⁇ 1 ⁇ 2 ).
- the initial tension applied along the first axis x 1 direction of the actuator band 1 is distributed in directions parallel to the axis A 1 along the actuator single wire 13 a and parallel to the axis A 2 along the actuator single wire 13 b .
- the initial tension applied to each of the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b is averaged.
- the initial tension is applied almost uniformly to the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b.
- the actuator band 1 when the actuator band 1 is heated, as shown in FIG. 11B , the actuator wire 11 is contracted due to thermal strain, and the braided stitches of the actuator band 1 are deformed. Specifically, the braided stitches are deformed in such a manner that the intersection angle including the first axis x 1 is greater than the above-mentioned intersection angle ( ⁇ 1 + ⁇ 2 ), and the intersection angle including the second axis x 2 is smaller than the above-mentioned intersection angle (180° ⁇ 1 ⁇ 2 ). As a result, the length of the actuator band 1 is shortened along the direction of the first axis x 1 . At this time, the length of the actuator band 1 in the first axis x 1 direction is L 1 ( ⁇ L 0 ).
- the actuator band 1 Since the actuator band 1 is expanded and contracted due to the deformation of the braided stitches, the movement of the expansion and contraction is not hindered at the point where the actuator single wires 13 a and 13 b intersect each other. This effect can be provided, even when the stitches of the actuator band 1 are knitted stitches or woven stitches.
- the heating wires 21 a and 21 b have elasticity and small rigidity.
- the actuator device 60 it is desirable that the initial tension applied to the actuator band 1 is as small as possible, and that the contraction ratio of the actuator band 1 during heating is as high as possible. In other words, it is desirable that a ratio of the contraction ratio of the actuator band 1 to the initial tension is as large as possible.
- the present inventors provided coiled polymer fibers 111 .
- the present inventors twisted two coiled polymer fibers 111 to provide an actuator wire 11 .
- the actuator wire 11 is composed of the two coiled polymer fibers 111 which had been twisted with each other. In other words, a side surface of one twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 a is in contact with a side surface of another twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 b.
- a monofilament formed of polyester manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., fiber diameter: 10 denier
- a metal wire 52 (Nippon Seisen Co., Ltd., trade name: stainless steel wire, material: SUS 316L, diameter size: 0.030 mm) was braided around the elastic yarn 51 in S-twist (the number of the twist: 2,950 T/m). In this way, the present inventors provided the heating wire 21 .
- the present inventors used a braider to cover the side surface of the actuator wire 11 with a mesh-shaped heating element 12 composed of four heating wires 21 . In this way an actuator single wire 13 was provided.
- the present inventors performed the flat braiding using nine actuator single wires 13 to provide the actuator band 1 . Subsequently, the actuator band 1 was cut to provide an actuator band 1 having a length of approximately 70 mm.
- the first connector 4 a formed of a metal was connected to the first end of the actuator band 1 using a swaging tool.
- the second connector 4 b formed of a metal was connected to the second end of the actuator band 1 .
- the present inventors provided the actuator member 68 . Subsequently, the present inventors performed a heating test of the actuator band 1 , and observed the expansion-contraction state of the actuator band 1 .
- FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a test device 100 which is used for the heating test.
- the test device 100 comprises a fixing plate 7 , a pulley 31 , a mirror 32 , a radiation thermometer 15 , and a laser displacement meter 14 .
- the first connector 4 a was fixed using the fixing plate 7 .
- the pulley 31 is a pulley that guides the electric wire W attached to the second connector 4 b on the second end of the actuator band 1 .
- the actuator band 1 is disposed substantially horizontally with the fixing plate 7 and the pulley 31 .
- a weight 6 of 500 g is attached to the electric wire W. Due to the initial tension by the weight 6 , the actuator band 1 is turned into an expanded state (see, for example, FIG. 11A ).
- the second connector 4 b of the actuator band 1 is movable along the direction of the first axis x 1 in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the actuator band 1 .
- the mirror 32 is attached to the second connector 4 b of the actuator band 1 , and configured to move in the direction of the first axis x 1 in conjunction with the movement of the second connector 4 b .
- the mirror surface of the mirror 32 is provided along a direction perpendicular to the first axis x 1 , and the laser displacement meter 14 is disposed at a position facing the mirror surface of the mirror 32 .
- the laser displacement meter 14 (purchased from Keyence Corporation, trade name “LK-080”) was used.
- the laser displacement meter 14 measures the displacement of the second connector 4 b by irradiating the mirror 32 with laser light and detecting the laser light reflected by the mirror 32 . In other words, the laser displacement meter 14 measures the displacement of the actuator band 1 .
- the radiation thermometer 15 is disposed at a position where infrared or visible light emitted from the actuator band 1 can be detected, and measures the temperature of the actuator band 1 based on the detected infrared or visible light.
- the radiation thermometer 15 product of Apiste, trade name “FSV-210” was used.
- the present inventors used the control device 5 to supply electric power of 1 W having electric current of 420 mA to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 for 30 seconds. At this time, the temperature of the side surface of the actuator band 1 reached approximately 70 degrees Celsius. Due to the heating, the actuator band 1 was contracted in the first axis x 1 direction. Subsequently, the supply of the electric power to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 was stopped, and the mesh-shaped heating element 12 was cooled for 90 seconds. In this way, the actuator band 1 was naturally cooled, until the temperature of the side surface of the actuator band 1 reached not more than 30 degrees Celsius.
- the actuator band 1 was expanded and restored in the direction of the first axis x 1 .
- the mirror 32 was moved in an oscillation way in the longitudinal direction of the actuator band 1 .
- the movement was measured using the laser displacement meter 14 to measure the movement of the expansion and contraction of the actuator band 1 .
- Table 1 shows the load (M 1 ) per one actuator single wire 13 and the contraction amount and the contraction ratio (C) of the actuator band 1 when the heating and the cooling are repeated three times.
- the contraction ratio (C) is defined by the following mathematical formula (IA).
- L 0 represents the length of the actuator band 1 to which the initial tension (the initial load) has been applied before heating, namely, the length of the actuator band in the cooling state
- L 1 represents the length of the actuator band 1 during heating
- Table 1 also shows a degree of the contraction (C/M 1 ) in a unit load provided by dividing the contraction ratio (C) by the load (M 1 ) per one actuator single wire 13 .
- the degree of the contraction in the unit load (C/M 1 ) is a value representing the contraction ratio in terms of the unit load so that the calculated contraction ratio C can be compared. It is preferable that the degree of the contraction is as large as possible.
- the degree of the contraction (C/M 1 ) has a correlation with the ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension.
- the actuator single wire 13 may be referred to as a “single wire”.
- the contraction ratio (C) was the largest when the load (M 1 ) per one single wire was 44.4 g, and the maximum contraction ratio (C) was 7.7%.
- the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) was the largest when the load per one single wire (M 1 ) was 33.3 g, and the maximum degree of the contraction (C/M 1 ) was 0.22.
- the actuator device 500 of the comparative example 1 will be described.
- an actuator band 501 in which five actuator single wires 13 were arranged in parallel at intervals was used.
- the first ends of the actuator single wires 13 each having a length of 120 mm were fixed to a band jig 120
- the second ends of the actuator single wires 13 were fixed to a band jig 121 .
- the first ends and the second ends of the actuator single wires 13 were connected to the control device 5 with conducting wires provided on the band jigs 120 and 121 .
- An initial tension was applied to the actuator single wires 13 using the weight 6 .
- 150 g of the weight 6 and 200 g of the weight 6 were used, respectively.
- Table 2 shows the load (M 1 ) per one actuator single wire 13 , the contraction amount and contraction ratio (C) of the actuator band 501 after the third heating and cooling, and the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) in the unit load.
- the contraction ratio (C) was the largest when the load (M 1 ) per one single wire was 30 g, and the maximum contraction ratio (C) was 3.1%.
- the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) was the largest when the load (M 1 ) per one single wire was 30 g, and the maximum degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) was 0.10.
- the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) of the actuator band 501 of the comparative example 1 is smaller than the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) of the actuator band 501 of the present inventive examples. This is probably because a uniform load was not applied to all of the five actuator single wires 13 and the temperature of the five actuator single wires 13 was not uniform.
- the actuator band 1 is formed by braiding the actuator single wires 13 so as to intersect each other. As a result, a uniform load is easily applied to the actuator band 1 , and the entire temperature of the actuator band 1 is easily made uniform. In this way, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided.
- an actuator member was produced in the same manner as in the inventive example, except that an actuator band (not shown) having only one actuator single wire 13 was used.
- the length of the actuator single wire 13 was approximately 50 mm.
- Table 3 shows the load (M 1 ) per one actuator single wire 13 , the contraction amount and contraction ratio (C) of the actuator band after heating and cooling are repeated three times, and the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) in the unit load.
- the contraction ratio (C) is the largest when the load (M 1 ) per one single wire was 50 g, and the maximum contraction ratio (C) was 7.6%.
- the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) was the largest when the load (M 1 ) per one single wire was 40 g, and the maximum degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) was 0.18.
- the actuator band 1 of the present inventive example has the same contraction ratio C and degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) as the one actuator single wire 13 of the comparative example 2.
- the displacement direction displaced by heating and cooling the one actuator single wire 13 of the comparative example 2 is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the actuator single wire 13 .
- the displacement amount of the actuator band 1 in the first axis x 1 direction would be decreased by (amount of displacement in the axis A 1 direction of the actuator single wire) ⁇ (1 ⁇ cos ⁇ 1 ).
- the contraction ratio C and the degree of contraction (C/M 1 ) are equivalent to those of the one actuator single wire 13 .
- the actuator band 1 has a structure in which tension is applied in the direction of the first axis x 1 in a state where a plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are braided so as to intersect each other.
- the present invention is applicable to an actuator device which is used as an artificial muscle.
- the actuator device 60 comprises
- the actuator band 1 comprises a plurality of actuator single wires 13 ;
- the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are braided, knitted or woven;
- first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are connected to each other;
- each of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 comprises an actuator wire 11 and a mesh-shaped heating element 12 which covers a side surface of the actuator wire 11 and comprises a plurality of heating wires 21 ;
- the actuator wire 11 is formed of a fiber 111 consisting of a polymer (i.e. polymer fiber having a shape of a coil);
- the fiber 111 is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- the fiber 111 is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil
- the actuator wire 11 is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat
- a first end of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is connected to a first end of the actuator wire 11 ;
- a second end of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is connected to a second end of the actuator wire 11 ;
- control device 5 is configured to supply, to the mesh-shaped heating element 12 , electric power for heating the mesh-shaped heating element 12 ;
- the actuator band 1 is configured to be contracted along the longitudinal direction thereof by the heat in a state where tension has been applied along the longitudinal direction thereof.
- the actuator band 1 is an actuator band comprising a plurality of actuator single wires 13 , wherein the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are braided, knitted or woven; first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are connected to each other;
- each of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 comprises an actuator wire 11 , and a mesh-shaped heating element 12 which covers a side surface of the actuator wire 11 and comprises a plurality of heating wires 21 ;
- the actuator wire 11 is formed of a fiber 111 consisting of a polymer
- the fiber 111 is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- the fiber 111 is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil
- the actuator wire 11 is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat
- a first end of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is connected to a first end of the actuator wire 11 ;
- a second end of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is connected to a second end of the actuator wire 11 .
- manufacture method of the actuator band 1 comprises:
- the actuator wire 11 is formed by twisting a plurality of fiber 111 s each consisting of a polymer with each other;
- each of the plurality of the fiber 111 s is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- each of the plurality of the fiber 111 s is folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape
- the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are braided, knitted, or woven to form the actuator band 1 , so that, for example, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided, as compared to a case where an actuator band is formed by arranging the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 in parallel at intervals.
- the plurality of the actuator single wires may intersect each other.
- the actuator band 1 is formed in such a manner that the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 intersect each other, so that, for example, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided, as compared to a case where an actuator band is formed by arranging the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 without intersecting each other.
- each of the plurality of the heating wires 21 may comprise non-conductive elastic yarn 51 and a metal wire 52 , and the metal wire 52 may be helically wound around the elastic yarn.
- the heating wire 21 in which the metal wire 52 has been wound around the elastic yarn 51 is used, a close contact area between the metal wire 52 and the actuator wire 11 can be increased, and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided.
- each of the plurality of the heating wires 21 may be helically wound around the side surface of the actuator wire 11 , and the plurality of the heating wires 21 may be braided so as to form the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 can be brought into close contact with the actuator wire 11 , and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided.
- the plurality of the heating wires 21 may be braided clockwise.
- the heating wire 21 is less likely to come off from the actuator wire 11 .
- the plurality of the heating wires 21 may be braided counterclockwise.
- the heating wire 21 is less likely to come off from the actuator wire 11 .
- each of the plurality of the heating wires 21 may have a rectangular wave shape, and the plurality of the heating wires 21 each having the rectangular wave shape may be knitted so as to form the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 can be brought into close contact with the actuator wire 11 , and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided.
- each of the plurality of the heating wires 21 may be helically wound around the side surface of the actuator wire 11 , and the plurality of the heating wires 21 may be woven so as to form the mesh-shaped heating element 12 .
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 can be brought into close contact with the actuator wire 11 , and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, the actuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided.
- the fiber 111 consists of linear low density polyethylene, and the following numerical formula (I) is satisfied.
- D represents an average diameter of the cylindrical coil
- d represents a diameter of the fiber
- the actuator band may comprises:
- the first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are connected to each other with the first connector 4 a;
- the second ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires 13 are connected to each other with the second connector 4 b;
- the first end of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is connected to the first end of the actuator wire 11 with the first connector 4 a ;
- second end of the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is connected to second end of the actuator wire 11 with the second connector 4 b.
- the first ends of the plurality of the heating wires 21 and the plurality of the actuator wires 11 are connected with the first connector 4 a
- the second ends of the plurality of the heating wires 21 and the plurality of the actuator wires 11 are connected with the second connector 4 b
- these can be connected to each other with a simple configuration.
- the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b are formed of a metal, the heat from the heating wire 21 can be released through the first connector 4 a and the second connector 4 b , and the burnout of both ends of the actuator band 1 can be suppressed.
- the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
- the mesh-shaped heating element 12 is a braided fabric
- the mesh-shaped heating element may be a woven fabric or a knitted fabric.
- the width may be greater than or equal to the length in the first axial direction.
- the present invention includes an embodiment which can be provided by subjecting each embodiment to various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art.
- the present invention also includes an embodiment which can be realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements and functions in each embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an actuator device, an actuator band, and a method for manufacturing the actuator band.
-
Patent Literature 1 discloses coiled and non-coiled twisted nanofiber yarn and polymer fiber torsional and tensile actuators. InNon-patent Literatures 1 and 2, Maki Hiraoka et al. disclose a coiled polymer fiber formed of linear low density polyethylene. According toNon-Patent Literatures 1 and 2, the coiled polymer fiber is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat. Patent Literature 2 discloses an actuator capable of contracting in the axial direction thereof. In addition,Patent Literature 1 discloses an example in which a plurality of coiled polymer fibers are arranged to provide an arbitrary generated force. -
- Patent Literature 1: International publication No. 2014/022667
- Patent Literature 2: U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,603
- Patent Literature 3: Japanese Patent Publication No. 6111438
- Patent Literature 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-16327
-
- Non-Patent Literature 1: Maki Hiraoka et al., “Large strains and their polymer chain morphologies on coiled polymer fiber actuators” Proceedings of 24th Polymer Material Forum, Vol. 24, Page 39 (Publication Date: Nov. 15, 2015)
- Non-Patent Literature 2: Maki Hiraoka et al. “Power-efficient low-temperature woven coiled fibre actuator for wearable applications”
Scientific Reports volume 6, Article number: 36358 (2016) - There is an upper limit to an amount of work generated due to contraction of one coiled polymer fiber. There is a case where an amount of work necessary as an actuator device is provided by arranging a plurality of coiled polymer fibers in a composite manner.
- For example, in a case where a plurality of coiled polymer fibers are arranged and stacked in a composite manner, a loss such as bondage of movement generated due to friction or entanglement between the fibers may occur.
- In addition, it is necessary to apply an appropriate initial tension and appropriate heat equally to a plurality of coiled polymer fibers. However, if the initial tension and the heat are not uniform, an amount of work of the actuator device is decreased. In particular, since the direction in which the initial tension is applied is opposite to the direction in which the coiled polymer fiber contracts, the initial tension decreases the amount of the work generated due to the contraction of the coiled polymer fiber. Therefore, in a case where the coiled polymer fiber is contracted by heat at a constant contraction ratio, it is preferable that the initial tension is as small as possible.
- On the other hand, in order to increase the amount of the work of the actuator device, it is preferable that a contraction ratio of the coiled polymer fiber, namely, the fiber formed of a polymer, is as large as possible.
- An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator device and an actuator band each having a large ratio of a contraction ratio to initial tension, and a method for manufacturing the actuator band.
- The actuator device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises:
- an actuator band; and
- a control device,
- wherein
- the actuator band comprises a plurality of actuator single wires;
- the plurality of the actuator single wires are braided, knitted or woven;
- first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires are connected to each other;
- second ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires are connected to each other;
- each of the plurality of the actuator single wires comprises an actuator wire and a mesh-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises a plurality of heating wires;
- the actuator wire is formed of a fiber consisting of a polymer;
- the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil;
- the actuator wire is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat;
- a first end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a first end of the actuator wire;
- a second end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a second end of the actuator wire;
- the control device is configured to supply, to the mesh-shaped heating element, electric power for heating the mesh-shaped heating element; and
- the actuator band is configured to be contracted along the longitudinal direction thereof by the heat in a state where tension has been applied along the longitudinal direction thereof.
- The actuator band according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a plurality of actuator single wires, wherein
- the plurality of the actuator single wires are braided, knitted or woven;
- first ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires are connected to each other;
- second ends of the plurality of the actuator single wires are connected to each other;
- each of the plurality of the actuator single wires comprises an actuator wire, and a mesh-shaped heating element which covers a side surface of the actuator wire and comprises a plurality of heating wires;
- the actuator wire is formed of a fiber consisting of a polymer;
- the fiber is twisted around the long axis thereof;
- the fiber is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil;
- the actuator wire is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat;
- a first end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a first end of the actuator wire; and
- a second end of the mesh-shaped heating element is connected to a second end of the actuator wire.
- The method for manufacturing an actuator band according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises:
- (a) forming an actuator wire capable of being contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat;
- wherein
- the actuator wire is formed by twisting a plurality of fibers each consisting of a polymer with each other;
- each of the plurality of the fibers is twisted around the long axis thereof; and
- each of the plurality of the fibers is folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape;
- (b) providing a side surface of the actuator wire with a mesh-shaped heating element to provide an actuator single wire;
- (b2) preparing a plurality of actuator single wires each consisting of the actuator single wire; and
- (c) braiding, knitting, or weaving the plurality of the actuator single wires to provide the actuator band.
- The present invention provides an actuator device and an actuator band each having a large ratio of a contraction ratio to initial tension, and a method for manufacturing the actuator band.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator device according to an embodiment. -
FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing an actuator single wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the actuator single wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a heating wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a mesh-shaped heating element provided in the actuator single wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shaped heating element according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuator single wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuator single wire according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator band according to the embodiment. -
FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a state in which the actuator band according to the embodiment is not heated. -
FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a state in which the actuator band according to the embodiment has been heated. -
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a testing device which is used for a heating test. -
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an actuator device according to comparative example 1. - Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing anactuator device 60 according to the embodiment. As shown inFIG. 1 , theactuator device 60 according to the embodiment comprises anactuator band 1 and acontrol device 5. Theactuator band 1 comprises a plurality of actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b. Hereinafter, theactuator device 60 will be described. - [Actuator Single Wire]
-
FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b according to the embodiment.FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b according to the embodiment.FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along theline 2B-2B indicated inFIG. 2A . As shown inFIGS. 2A and 2B , the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b comprises anactuator wire 11 formed by twisting two coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b with each other and a mesh-shapedheating element 12 provided on a side surface of theactuator wire 11. The mesh-shapedheating element 12 is formed of a plurality ofheating wires - Hereinafter, the actuator
single wires 13 a and 13 b are sometimes referred to as the actuator single wire(s) 13 without distinction. Theheating wires - [Actuator Wire]
- For the details of the
actuator wire 11, see Patent Literature 3, which precedes the present patent application. Patent Literature 3 (i.e., Japanese Patent Publication No. 6111438) and United States Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0245145, which corresponds to Patent Literature 3, are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, theactuator wire 11 is disclosed inNon-Patent Literature 1. - The terms “
actuator wire 11” and “heating element 12” used in the present specification correspond to the terms “fiber” and “temperature regulator” used in Patent Literature 3, respectively. - As disclosed in Patent Literature 3, the
actuator wire 11 may be composed of a coiled polymer fiber 111 (seeFIG. 3 ) formed of linear low density polyethylene. Theactuator wire 11 is contracted by heat and restored by the release of the heat. - As one example, when the
actuator wire 11 having one end to which 10 MPa of weight has been applied is heated to 90 degrees Celsius, theactuator wire 11 is contracted by approximately 23%. When theactuator wire 11 is cooled to room temperature, theactuator wire 11 is restored to its original length. As disclosed in Patent Literature 3, theactuator wire 11 may be heated to a temperature of, for example, not less than 30 degrees Celsius and not more than 100 degrees Celsius. The material of the coiledpolymer fiber 111 is not limited to linear low density polyethylene, and may be a polymer having an anisotropic thermal expansion characteristic. - Other examples of the material of the coiled
polymer fiber 111 include polyethylene (for example, low density polyethylene or high density polyethylene), nylon (for example,nylon 6,nylon -
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing theactuator wire 11 according to the embodiment. Theactuator wire 11 may be composed of at least onecoiled polymer fiber 111. For example, inFIG. 3 , theactuator wire 11 may be composed of two coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b integrated so as to be twisted with each other. Specifically, theactuator wire 11 may be composed of two or more coiled polymer fibers 111 a and 111 b that have been twisted with each other around the long axis thereof. In other words, theactuator wire 11 may be formed by twisting the two or morecoiled polymer fibers 111 in such a manner that a side surface of one twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 a is brought into contact with a side surface of another twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 b. - The coiled
polymer fiber 111 is twisted around the long axis thereof and folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape (helical shape). As described in Patent Literature 3, the coiledpolymer fiber 111 satisfies the following formula (I). -
D/d<1 (I) - where, D represents an average diameter of the cylindrical coil of the coiled
polymer fiber 111, and d represents a diameter of the coiledpolymer fiber 111. Due to this relationship, a displacement rate of theactuator wire 11 can be increased. The average diameter D is provided by subtracting the diameter d of the coiledpolymer fiber 111 from an outer diameter D1 of the cylindrical coil. - [Mesh-Shaped Heating Element]
- As shown in
FIGS. 2A and 2B , the mesh-shapedheating element 12 covers the side surface of theactuator wire 11. It is desirable that the mesh-shapedheating element 12 is cylindrical so as to include theactuator wire 11 therein. The mesh-shapedheating element 12 is composed of a plurality of theheating wires heating element 12 is formed by braiding, knitting, or weaving a plurality ofheating wires -
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing theheating wire 21 according to the embodiment. As shown inFIG. 4 , theheating wire 21 comprises a non-conductiveelastic yarn 51 which serves as a core yarn, and ametal wire 52 which covers the circumference of theelastic yarn 51. Specifically, theheating wire 21 is manufactured by a known covering processing machine using theelastic yarn 51 as the core yarn and themetal wire 52 as a sheath yarn. Here, the covering means that themetal wire 52 is wound around theelastic yarn 51 in an S direction or a Z direction. In the present embodiment, theheating wire 21 in which one line of themetal wire 52 has been wound around theelastic yarn 51 is referred to as a single covering heating wire. Note that themetal wire 52 alone may be used as theheating wire 21. -
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the mesh-shapedheating element 12 provided in the actuatorsingle wire 13 according to the embodiment. As shown inFIG. 5 , the mesh-shapedheating element 12 may be formed of a plurality of theheating wires heating wires heating element 12 has a shape of a mesh as a whole. For example, the mesh-shapedheating element 12 shown inFIG. 2A andFIG. 5 is formed by braiding the plurality of theheating wires heating element 12 may be formed by knitting the plurality of theheating wires 21 or may be formed by weaving the plurality of theheating wires 21. - In
FIG. 5 , twoheating wires 21 a and twoheating wires 21 b are braided so as to be helically wound around the outer side surface of theactuator wire 11. In this way, the mesh-shapedheating element 12 that covers the outer side surface of theactuator wire 11 is configured. For example, theheating wires 21 a are braided clockwise, and theheating wires 21 b are braided counterclockwise. In other words, theheating wires 21 a and theheating wires 21 b are braided so as to be opposite to each other around theactuator wire 11. In addition, it is desirable that theheating element 12 is configured by braiding three ormore heating wires 21. As described above, eachheating wire 21 is configured by covering the circumference of theelastic yarn 51 with themetal wire 52 which is used as a sheath yarn, and may have a coil (i.e., helical) shape. In addition, eachheating wire 21 may have a shape of yarn. -
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the mesh-shapedheating element 12 according to the embodiment. As shown inFIG. 6 , eachheating wire 21 has a shape of a rectangular wave, and the plurality of theheating wires 21 are knitted so as to form the mesh-shapedheating element 12. Theheating wire 21 knitted in this way may be wound around the outer side surface of theactuator wire 11. -
FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing another examples of the mesh-shapedheating element 12 according to the embodiment. Each of theheating wires heating wires actuator wire 11. Theheating wires actuator wire 11. -
FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuatorsingle wire 13 according to the embodiment. The actuatorsingle wire 13 shown inFIG. 9A is formed of oneactuator wire 11 formed of one coiledpolymer fiber 111 and threeheating wires 21 provided around theone actuator wire 11. Threeheating wires 21 are arranged around theactuator wires 11 evenly at substantially equal angular intervals. -
FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the actuatorsingle wire 13 according to the embodiment. InFIG. 9B , for convenience, oneactuator wire 11 is illustrated by one circle. The actuatorsingle wire 13 is formed of theactuator wire 11 formed by twisting the two coiled polymer fibers with each other and fourheating wires 21 provided around theactuator wire 11. Around theactuator wire 11, the fourheating wires 21 are arranged evenly at substantially equal angular intervals. - As shown in
FIGS. 9A and 9B , the plurality of theheating wires 21 are evenly arranged around theactuator wire 11, so that theactuator wire 11 can be heated more uniformly. As a result, a high contraction ratio of theactuator band 1 can be realized. - [Actuator Band]
- As shown in
FIG. 1 , theactuator band 1 comprises the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b. Theactuator band 1 shown inFIG. 1 has braided stitches each formed by the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b which intersect each other. For example, theactuator band 1 is formed by flat braiding of nine actuatorsingle wires 13. Theactuator band 1 may be formed by tubular braiding of the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13. - A
first connector 4 a is provided at first ends of the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b. Thefirst connector 4 a is connected to a first end of theactuator band 1. Due to this connection, a first end of thecylindrical heating element 12 is connected to first ends of the plurality of theactuator wires 11. At a second end of theactuator band 1, asecond connector 4 b is provided. Thesecond connector 4 b is connected to the second end of theactuator band 1. Due to this connection, a second end of thecylindrical heating element 12 is connected to second ends of the plurality of theactuator wires 11. Thefirst connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b are electrically connected to thecontrol device 5 via electric wires. Thefirst connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b are, for example, crimp terminals. Examples of the crimp terminal include a fork crimp terminal and a ring crimp terminal. It is desirable that the crimp terminal is formed of a metal. In this case, the heat from theheating element 12 can be released through thefirst connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b, and burnout of both ends of theactuator band 1 can be suppressed. - [Control Device]
- The
control device 5 supplies electric power to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 to heat the mesh-shapedheating element 12. Thecontrol device 5 may comprise a power source for supplying the electric power to the mesh-shapedheating element 12. The electric power supplied to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 is alternating current power or direct current power. Thecontrol device 5 may further comprise a switch. While the switch is on, electric power is supplied to the mesh-shapedheating element 12. While the switch is off, electric power is not supplied to the mesh-shapedheating element 12. - [Method for Manufacturing Actuator Band]
- Next, a method for manufacturing the
actuator band 1 will be described. - First, using a covering processing machine, the
heating wire 21 is provided using theelastic yarn 51 as a core yarn and themetal wire 52 as a sheath yarn. - Next, the
heating wire 21 is braided around the side surface of theactuator wire 11 to provide the actuatorsingle wire 13 comprising theactuator wire 11 and the mesh-shapedheating element 12 which covers the surface of theactuator wire 11. - The actuator
single wire 13 is formed by a well-known braider. The braider comprises a bobbin and a pulley. From the bobbin, theactuator wire 11 to which tension has been applied is supplied. Theactuator wire 11 is guided by the pulley. Subsequently, theactuator wire 11 is wound together with the plurality of theheating wires 21, while the plurality of theheating wires 21 are supplied around the side surface of theactuator wire 11 via circular disks and spindles. In this way, the actuatorsingle wire 13 comprising theactuator wire 11 and the mesh-shapedheating element 12 which covers the side surface of theactuator wire 11 is provided. The actuatorsingle wire 13 formed by the above method is wound around a bobbin. - Next, in a well-known flat braider, nine actuator
single wires 13 are braided using nine bobbins around which the actuatorsingle wires 13 have been wound. In this way, theactuator band 1 is manufactured. Theactuator band 1 can also be produced by “knitting” or “weaving” the actuatorsingle wire 13, for example. Theactuator band 1 may be formed with a tubular braider. - In general, in the flat braiding, a plurality of wires are braided in a belt shape using an odd number of bobbins, and in the tubular braiding, a plurality of wires are braided in a cylindrical shape using an even number of bobbins. In the flat braiding, the odd number of bobbins may include empty bobbins. In the tubular braiding, the even number of bobbins may include empty bobbins. By adding empty bobbins, the number of the actuator
single wires 13 can be selected in accordance with an amount of the work required for theactuator device 60. It is also possible to braid a plurality of wires using a bobbin around which a dummy yarn has been wound in place of an empty bobbin. In this case, it is possible to form balanced braided stitches, namely, uniform braided stitches. The dummy wire should be as thin as possible. As the dummy wire is thinner, loss of the amount of the work of theactuator band 1 generated due to the dummy wire can be decreased. - Subsequently, the
actuator band 1 is cut to a desired length. In the present embodiment, theactuator band 1 is cut in such a way that the length along a first axis x1 direction from the first end of theactuator band 1 to the second end thereof is longer than the length (width) in the second axis x2 direction perpendicular to the first axis x1 direction (seeFIG. 10 ). In other words, the first axis x1 direction is a longitudinal direction of theactuator band 1, and the second axis x2 direction is a short direction of theactuator band 1. - The
first connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b are attached to both ends of theactuator band 1 which has been cut to the desired length. In this way, theactuator member 68 is provided. Thefirst connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b are electrically connected to thecontrol device 5 via electric wires. In this way, theactuator device 60 is manufactured. - [Operation of Actuator Device]
- Next, the operation of the
actuator device 60 will be described. As shown inFIG. 1 , aweight 6 is connected to thesecond connector 4 b, which has been attached to the first end of theactuator band 1, via an electric wire W. Due to theweight 6, theactuator band 1 is provided with a predetermined tension and is turned into a tensioned state. In other words, a tension along the first axis x1 direction has been applied to theactuator band 1 with theweight 6. -
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing theactuator band 1 according to the embodiment.FIG. 11A is a diagram showing a state in which theactuator band 1 according to the embodiment is not heated.FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a state in which theactuator band 1 has been heated. - First, when an initial tension is applied in a state where the
actuator band 1 is not heated, as shown inFIG. 10 , each of the braided stitches forms substantially rhombus shapes each having an expanded diagonal line in the direction of the first axis x1 of theactuator band 1. In this way, theactuator band 1 is in an expanded state. In this case, the length of theactuator band 1 in the first axis x1 direction is L0 (seeFIG. 11A ). The plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b intersect with each other to form the braided stitches. Specifically, the axis A1 along the actuatorsingle wire 13 a is inclined by an angle 81 with respect to the first axis x1, and the axis A2 along the actuator single wire 13 b is inclined by an angle 82 with respect to the first axis x1. For example, as for intersection angles formed by the crossing of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b, the intersection angle including the first axis x1 is (θ1+θ2), and the intersection angle including the second axis x2 is (180°−θ1−θ2). - In this way, since the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 a and 13 b intersect with each other, the initial tension applied along the first axis x1 direction of theactuator band 1 is distributed in directions parallel to the axis A1 along the actuatorsingle wire 13 a and parallel to the axis A2 along the actuator single wire 13 b. In this way, the initial tension applied to each of the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b is averaged. As a result, the initial tension is applied almost uniformly to the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b. - Next, when the
actuator band 1 is heated, as shown inFIG. 11B , theactuator wire 11 is contracted due to thermal strain, and the braided stitches of theactuator band 1 are deformed. Specifically, the braided stitches are deformed in such a manner that the intersection angle including the first axis x1 is greater than the above-mentioned intersection angle (θ1+θ2), and the intersection angle including the second axis x2 is smaller than the above-mentioned intersection angle (180°−θ1−θ2). As a result, the length of theactuator band 1 is shortened along the direction of the first axis x1. At this time, the length of theactuator band 1 in the first axis x1 direction is L1 (<L0). Since theactuator band 1 is expanded and contracted due to the deformation of the braided stitches, the movement of the expansion and contraction is not hindered at the point where the actuatorsingle wires 13 a and 13 b intersect each other. This effect can be provided, even when the stitches of theactuator band 1 are knitted stitches or woven stitches. - In order for the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 to be uniformly deformed in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of theactuator wire 11, it is desirable that theheating wires actuator device 60, it is desirable that the initial tension applied to theactuator band 1 is as small as possible, and that the contraction ratio of theactuator band 1 during heating is as high as possible. In other words, it is desirable that a ratio of the contraction ratio of theactuator band 1 to the initial tension is as large as possible. - Hereinafter, examples according to the present invention will be described.
- (Manufacture of Actuator Wire)
- In accordance with the disclosure of Patent Literature 3, the present inventors provided coiled
polymer fibers 111. Next, the present inventors twisted twocoiled polymer fibers 111 to provide anactuator wire 11. As shown inFIG. 3 , theactuator wire 11 is composed of the twocoiled polymer fibers 111 which had been twisted with each other. In other words, a side surface of one twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 a is in contact with a side surface of another twisted coiled polymer fiber 111 b. - (Manufacture of Heating Wire)
- A monofilament formed of polyester (manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., fiber diameter: 10 denier) was used as the
elastic yarn 51. A metal wire 52 (Nippon Seisen Co., Ltd., trade name: stainless steel wire, material: SUS 316L, diameter size: 0.030 mm) was braided around theelastic yarn 51 in S-twist (the number of the twist: 2,950 T/m). In this way, the present inventors provided theheating wire 21. - (Manufacture of Actuator Single Wire)
- The present inventors used a braider to cover the side surface of the
actuator wire 11 with a mesh-shapedheating element 12 composed of fourheating wires 21. In this way an actuatorsingle wire 13 was provided. - (Manufacture of Actuator Band)
- The present inventors performed the flat braiding using nine actuator
single wires 13 to provide theactuator band 1. Subsequently, theactuator band 1 was cut to provide anactuator band 1 having a length of approximately 70 mm. - (Connection with Connector)
- The
first connector 4 a formed of a metal was connected to the first end of theactuator band 1 using a swaging tool. Similarly, thesecond connector 4 b formed of a metal was connected to the second end of theactuator band 1. In this way, the present inventors provided theactuator member 68. Subsequently, the present inventors performed a heating test of theactuator band 1, and observed the expansion-contraction state of theactuator band 1. - (Heating Test)
- Next, the heating test for the
actuator band 1 will be described.FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of atest device 100 which is used for the heating test. Thetest device 100 comprises a fixingplate 7, apulley 31, amirror 32, aradiation thermometer 15, and alaser displacement meter 14. - The
first connector 4 a was fixed using the fixingplate 7. Thepulley 31 is a pulley that guides the electric wire W attached to thesecond connector 4 b on the second end of theactuator band 1. Theactuator band 1 is disposed substantially horizontally with the fixingplate 7 and thepulley 31. For example, aweight 6 of 500 g is attached to the electric wire W. Due to the initial tension by theweight 6, theactuator band 1 is turned into an expanded state (see, for example,FIG. 11A ). Thesecond connector 4 b of theactuator band 1 is movable along the direction of the first axis x1 in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of theactuator band 1. - The
mirror 32 is attached to thesecond connector 4 b of theactuator band 1, and configured to move in the direction of the first axis x1 in conjunction with the movement of thesecond connector 4 b. The mirror surface of themirror 32 is provided along a direction perpendicular to the first axis x1, and thelaser displacement meter 14 is disposed at a position facing the mirror surface of themirror 32. In the examples, the laser displacement meter 14 (purchased from Keyence Corporation, trade name “LK-080”) was used. Thelaser displacement meter 14 measures the displacement of thesecond connector 4 b by irradiating themirror 32 with laser light and detecting the laser light reflected by themirror 32. In other words, thelaser displacement meter 14 measures the displacement of theactuator band 1. - The
radiation thermometer 15 is disposed at a position where infrared or visible light emitted from theactuator band 1 can be detected, and measures the temperature of theactuator band 1 based on the detected infrared or visible light. In the examples, the radiation thermometer 15 (product of Apiste, trade name “FSV-210”) was used. - The present inventors used the
control device 5 to supply electric power of 1 W having electric current of 420 mA to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 for 30 seconds. At this time, the temperature of the side surface of theactuator band 1 reached approximately 70 degrees Celsius. Due to the heating, theactuator band 1 was contracted in the first axis x1 direction. Subsequently, the supply of the electric power to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 was stopped, and the mesh-shapedheating element 12 was cooled for 90 seconds. In this way, theactuator band 1 was naturally cooled, until the temperature of the side surface of theactuator band 1 reached not more than 30 degrees Celsius. - Due to the release of the heat, the
actuator band 1 was expanded and restored in the direction of the first axis x1. As theactuator band 1 was contracted and restored, themirror 32 was moved in an oscillation way in the longitudinal direction of theactuator band 1. The movement was measured using thelaser displacement meter 14 to measure the movement of the expansion and contraction of theactuator band 1. - In the first heating test, 300 g of the weight of the
weight 6 was used. Theactuator band 1 comprises nine actuatorsingle wires 13. Therefore, in this case, a load (M1) per one actuatorsingle wire 13 was 33.3 g (=300 g/9 wires). In the heating test, heating and cooling of theactuator band 1 were repeated three times. - The second heating test was performed in the same manner as the first heating test, except that the weight of the
weight 6 was 400 grams. In this case, the load (M1) per one actuatorsingle wire 13 was 44.4 g (=400 g/9 wires). - The third heating test was performed in the same manner as the first heating test, except that the weight of the
weight 6 was 500 grams. In this case, the load (M1) per one actuatorsingle wire 13 was 55.6 g (=500 g/9 wires). - Table 1 shows the load (M1) per one actuator
single wire 13 and the contraction amount and the contraction ratio (C) of theactuator band 1 when the heating and the cooling are repeated three times. The contraction ratio (C) is defined by the following mathematical formula (IA). -
C=|L1−L0|/L0×100 (IA) - where, L0 represents the length of the
actuator band 1 to which the initial tension (the initial load) has been applied before heating, namely, the length of the actuator band in the cooling state, and L1 represents the length of theactuator band 1 during heating. - Table 1 also shows a degree of the contraction (C/M1) in a unit load provided by dividing the contraction ratio (C) by the load (M1) per one actuator
single wire 13. The degree of the contraction in the unit load (C/M1) is a value representing the contraction ratio in terms of the unit load so that the calculated contraction ratio C can be compared. It is preferable that the degree of the contraction is as large as possible. The degree of the contraction (C/M1) has a correlation with the ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension. Hereinafter, the actuatorsingle wire 13 may be referred to as a “single wire”. -
TABLE 1 Amount of Length Length Contraction Contraction Degree of Load M1 L0 L1 |L1 − L0| Ratio Contraction (g/wires) (mm) (mm) (mm) C (%) (C/M1) 33.3 84.4 78.3 6.1 7.2 0.22 44.4 89.5 82.6 6.9 7.7 0.17 55.6 94.4 87.7 6.6 7.0 0.13 M1: Load per one single wire L0: Length of actuator band in the cooling state L1: Length of actuator band during heating |L1 − L0|: Amount of contraction of actuator band C: Contraction ratio C/M1: Degree of contraction in unit load - In the
actuator band 1 of the inventive example, the contraction ratio (C) was the largest when the load (M1) per one single wire was 44.4 g, and the maximum contraction ratio (C) was 7.7%. In addition, the degree of contraction (C/M1) was the largest when the load per one single wire (M1) was 33.3 g, and the maximum degree of the contraction (C/M1) was 0.22. - Here, in order to describe the effect of the
actuator device 60 of the present inventive examples, theactuator device 500 of the comparative example 1 will be described. - In the comparative example 1, an
actuator band 501 in which five actuatorsingle wires 13 were arranged in parallel at intervals was used. In theactuator device 500 of the comparative example 1, the first ends of the actuatorsingle wires 13 each having a length of 120 mm were fixed to aband jig 120, and the second ends of the actuatorsingle wires 13 were fixed to aband jig 121. The first ends and the second ends of the actuatorsingle wires 13 were connected to thecontrol device 5 with conducting wires provided on the band jigs 120 and 121. An initial tension was applied to the actuatorsingle wires 13 using theweight 6. In the first heating test and the second heating test, 150 g of theweight 6 and 200 g of theweight 6 were used, respectively. - Then, electric current of 158 mA and electric power of 0.8 W were supplied using the
control device 5 to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 for 90 seconds to heat the five actuatorsingle wires 13. At this time, the temperature of the side surfaces of the actuatorsingle wires 13 reached approximately 70 degrees Celsius. Subsequently, the supply of the electric power to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 was stopped, and the mesh-shapedheating element 12 was cooled for 90 seconds. In this way, the actuatorsingle wires 13 was naturally cooled, until the temperature of the side surfaces of the actuatorsingle wires 13 reached not more than 30 degrees Celsius. The temperature of the actuatorsingle wire 13 arranged at the center of the five actuatorsingle wires 13 was monitored. - Table 2 shows the load (M1) per one actuator
single wire 13, the contraction amount and contraction ratio (C) of theactuator band 501 after the third heating and cooling, and the degree of contraction (C/M1) in the unit load. -
TABLE 2 Amount of Length Length Contraction Contraction Degree of Load M1 L0 L1 |L1 − L0| Ratio Contraction (g/wires) (mm) (mm) (mm) C (%) (C/M1) 30 127.8 123.8 4.0 3.1 0.10 40 130.6 126.8 3.8 2.9 0.07 M1: Load per one single wire L0: Length of actuator band during cooling L1: Length of actuator band during heating |L1 − L0|: Amount of contraction of actuator band C: Contraction ratio C/M1: Degree of contraction in unit load - In the
actuator band 501 of the comparative example 1, the contraction ratio (C) was the largest when the load (M1) per one single wire was 30 g, and the maximum contraction ratio (C) was 3.1%. The degree of contraction (C/M1) was the largest when the load (M1) per one single wire was 30 g, and the maximum degree of contraction (C/M1) was 0.10. - As just described, the degree of contraction (C/M1) of the
actuator band 501 of the comparative example 1 is smaller than the degree of contraction (C/M1) of theactuator band 501 of the present inventive examples. This is probably because a uniform load was not applied to all of the five actuatorsingle wires 13 and the temperature of the five actuatorsingle wires 13 was not uniform. - On the other hand, in the present inventive examples, the
actuator band 1 is formed by braiding the actuatorsingle wires 13 so as to intersect each other. As a result, a uniform load is easily applied to theactuator band 1, and the entire temperature of theactuator band 1 is easily made uniform. In this way, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided. - In addition, in order to describe the effect of the
actuator device 60 of the present inventive examples, the actuator device of the comparative example 2 will be described. - In the comparative example 2, an actuator member was produced in the same manner as in the inventive example, except that an actuator band (not shown) having only one actuator
single wire 13 was used. The length of the actuatorsingle wire 13 was approximately 50 mm. - In the first to fifth heating tests, 10 g, 20 g, 30 g, 40 g, and 50 g of the
weights 6 were used, respectively. Using thecontrol device 5, electric current of 110 mA and electric power of 0.34 W were supplied to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 for 10 seconds to heat the actuatorsingle wire 13. At this time, the temperature of the side surface of the actuatorsingle wire 13 reached approximately 70 degrees Celsius. Subsequently, the supply of electric power to the mesh-shapedheating element 12 was stopped, and the mesh-shapedheating element 12 was cooled for 30 seconds. In this way, the actuatorsingle wire 13 was naturally cooled, until the temperature of the side surface of the actuatorsingle wire 13 reached not more than 30 degrees Celsius. - Table 3 shows the load (M1) per one actuator
single wire 13, the contraction amount and contraction ratio (C) of the actuator band after heating and cooling are repeated three times, and the degree of contraction (C/M1) in the unit load. -
TABLE 3 Amount of Length Length Contraction Contraction Degree of Load M1 L0 L1 |L1 − L0| Ratio Contraction (g/wires) (mm) (mm) (mm) C (%) (C/M1) 50 56.3 52.0 4.3 7.6 0.15 40 55.0 51.2 3.9 7.0 0.18 30 53.1 50.5 2.5 4.7 0.16 20 50.8 49.9 0.9 1.8 0.09 10 49.4 49.1 0.2 0.5 0.05 M1: Load per one single wire L0: Length of actuator band in the cooling state L1: Length of actuator band during heating |L1 − L0|: Amount of contraction of actuator band C: Contraction ratio C/M1: Degree of contraction in unit load - In the actuator band of the comparative example 2, namely, one actuator
single wire 13, the contraction ratio (C) is the largest when the load (M1) per one single wire was 50 g, and the maximum contraction ratio (C) was 7.6%. The degree of contraction (C/M1) was the largest when the load (M1) per one single wire was 40 g, and the maximum degree of contraction (C/M1) was 0.18. - As can be seen from Table 1 and Table 3, the
actuator band 1 of the present inventive example has the same contraction ratio C and degree of contraction (C/M1) as the one actuatorsingle wire 13 of the comparative example 2. - Here, the present inventors will discuss that the contraction ratio C and the degree of contraction (C/M1) of the present inventive examples are the same as those of the comparative example 2. The displacement direction displaced by heating and cooling the one actuator
single wire 13 of the comparative example 2 is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the actuatorsingle wire 13. For this reason, a skilled person would believe, if the actuatorsingle wire 13 is disposed at an angle θ1 (FIG. 10 ) with respect to the first axis x1 in the present inventive examples, the displacement amount of theactuator band 1 in the first axis x1 direction would be decreased by (amount of displacement in the axis A1 direction of the actuator single wire)×(1−cos θ1). However, as shown in Table 1, in the present inventive examples, the contraction ratio C and the degree of contraction (C/M1) are equivalent to those of the one actuatorsingle wire 13. This is probably because theactuator band 1 has a structure in which tension is applied in the direction of the first axis x1 in a state where a plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 are braided so as to intersect each other. - The present invention is applicable to an actuator device which is used as an artificial muscle.
- As described above, the
actuator device 60 according to the embodiment comprises - an
actuator band 1; and - a
control device 5, - wherein
- the
actuator band 1 comprises a plurality of actuatorsingle wires 13; - the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are braided, knitted or woven; - first ends of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are connected to each other; - second ends of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are connected to each other; - each of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 comprises anactuator wire 11 and a mesh-shapedheating element 12 which covers a side surface of theactuator wire 11 and comprises a plurality ofheating wires 21; - the
actuator wire 11 is formed of afiber 111 consisting of a polymer (i.e. polymer fiber having a shape of a coil); - the
fiber 111 is twisted around the long axis thereof; - the
fiber 111 is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil; - the
actuator wire 11 is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat; - a first end of the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is connected to a first end of theactuator wire 11; - a second end of the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is connected to a second end of theactuator wire 11; - the
control device 5 is configured to supply, to the mesh-shapedheating element 12, electric power for heating the mesh-shapedheating element 12; and - the
actuator band 1 is configured to be contracted along the longitudinal direction thereof by the heat in a state where tension has been applied along the longitudinal direction thereof. - In addition, the
actuator band 1 according to the embodiment is an actuator band comprising a plurality of actuatorsingle wires 13, wherein the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 are braided, knitted or woven; first ends of the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 are connected to each other; - second ends of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are connected to each other; - each of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 comprises anactuator wire 11, and a mesh-shapedheating element 12 which covers a side surface of theactuator wire 11 and comprises a plurality ofheating wires 21; - the
actuator wire 11 is formed of afiber 111 consisting of a polymer; - the
fiber 111 is twisted around the long axis thereof; - the
fiber 111 is folded so as to have a shape of a cylindrical coil; - the
actuator wire 11 is contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat; - a first end of the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is connected to a first end of theactuator wire 11; and - a second end of the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is connected to a second end of theactuator wire 11. - In addition, the manufacture method of the
actuator band 1 according to the embodiment comprises: - (a) forming an
actuator wire 11 capable of being contracted by heat and restored by release of the heat; - wherein
- the
actuator wire 11 is formed by twisting a plurality of fiber 111 s each consisting of a polymer with each other; - each of the plurality of the fiber 111 s is twisted around the long axis thereof; and
- each of the plurality of the fiber 111 s is folded so as to have a cylindrical coil shape;
- (b) providing a side surface of the
actuator wire 11 with a mesh-shapedheating element 12 to provide an actuator single wire; - (b2) preparing a plurality of actuator
single wires 13 each consisting of the actuator single wire; and - (c) braiding, knitting, or weaving the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 to provide theactuator band 1. - As just described, the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are braided, knitted, or woven to form theactuator band 1, so that, for example, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided, as compared to a case where an actuator band is formed by arranging the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 in parallel at intervals. - In addition, the plurality of the actuator single wires may intersect each other.
- As just described, the
actuator band 1 is formed in such a manner that the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 intersect each other, so that, for example, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided, as compared to a case where an actuator band is formed by arranging the plurality of the actuatorsingle wires 13 without intersecting each other. - In addition, each of the plurality of the
heating wires 21 may comprise non-conductiveelastic yarn 51 and ametal wire 52, and themetal wire 52 may be helically wound around the elastic yarn. - In this case, since the
heating wire 21 in which themetal wire 52 has been wound around theelastic yarn 51 is used, a close contact area between themetal wire 52 and theactuator wire 11 can be increased, and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided. - In addition, each of the plurality of the
heating wires 21 may be helically wound around the side surface of theactuator wire 11, and the plurality of theheating wires 21 may be braided so as to form the mesh-shapedheating element 12. - In this case, the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 can be brought into close contact with theactuator wire 11, and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided. - In addition, the plurality of the
heating wires 21 may be braided clockwise. - In this case, the
heating wire 21 is less likely to come off from theactuator wire 11. - In addition, the plurality of the
heating wires 21 may be braided counterclockwise. - In this case, the
heating wire 21 is less likely to come off from theactuator wire 11. - In addition, each of the plurality of the
heating wires 21 may have a rectangular wave shape, and the plurality of theheating wires 21 each having the rectangular wave shape may be knitted so as to form the mesh-shapedheating element 12. - In this case, the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 can be brought into close contact with theactuator wire 11, and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided. - In addition, each of the plurality of the
heating wires 21 may be helically wound around the side surface of theactuator wire 11, and the plurality of theheating wires 21 may be woven so as to form the mesh-shapedheating element 12. - In this case, the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 can be brought into close contact with theactuator wire 11, and the thermal efficiency can be increased. In this way, theactuator band 1 having a large ratio of the contraction ratio to the initial tension can be provided. - In addition, the
fiber 111 consists of linear low density polyethylene, and the following numerical formula (I) is satisfied. -
D/d<1 (I) - where D represents an average diameter of the cylindrical coil, and d represents a diameter of the fiber.
- Due to this relationship, the displacement rate of the
actuator wire 11 can be increased. - In addition, the actuator band may comprises:
- a
first connector 4 a; and - a
second connector 4 b, - wherein
- the first ends of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are connected to each other with thefirst connector 4 a; - the second ends of the plurality of the actuator
single wires 13 are connected to each other with thesecond connector 4 b; - the first end of the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is connected to the first end of theactuator wire 11 with thefirst connector 4 a; and - second end of the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is connected to second end of theactuator wire 11 with thesecond connector 4 b. - In this case, since the first ends of the plurality of the
heating wires 21 and the plurality of theactuator wires 11 are connected with thefirst connector 4 a, and the second ends of the plurality of theheating wires 21 and the plurality of theactuator wires 11 are connected with thesecond connector 4 b, these can be connected to each other with a simple configuration. In particular, if thefirst connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b are formed of a metal, the heat from theheating wire 21 can be released through thefirst connector 4 a and thesecond connector 4 b, and the burnout of both ends of theactuator band 1 can be suppressed. - [Others]
- Although the actuator device, the actuator band, and the method for manufacturing the actuator band according to the present invention have been described based on the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
- For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the mesh-shaped
heating element 12 is a braided fabric has been described. However, the mesh-shaped heating element may be a woven fabric or a knitted fabric. - In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the length along the first axial direction from the first end of the
actuator band 1 to the second end thereof is longer than the length (width) of the second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction has been described. However, in the actuator band, the width may be greater than or equal to the length in the first axial direction. - In addition, the present invention includes an embodiment which can be provided by subjecting each embodiment to various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art. The present invention also includes an embodiment which can be realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements and functions in each embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.
-
- 1 Actuator band
- 4 a First connector
- 4 b Second connector
- 5 Control device
- 6 Weight
- 7 Fixing plate
- 10 Substrate
- 11 Actuator wire
- 12 Mesh-shaped heating element
- 13 a, 13 b Actuator single wire
- 14 Laser displacement meter
- 15 Radiation thermometer
- 21 a, 21 b Heating wire
- 31 Pulley
- 32 Mirror
- 51 Elastic yarn
- 52 Metal wire
- 60 Actuator device
- 100 Test device
- 111, 111 a, 111 b Coiled polymer fiber
- A1, A2 Axis along actuator single wire
- x1 First axis
- x2 Second axis
- W electric wire
Claims (20)
D/d<1 (I)
D/d<1 (I)
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
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JP2018-104383 | 2018-05-31 | ||
JP2018104383 | 2018-05-31 | ||
JP2019024082A JP2021132415A (en) | 2018-05-31 | 2019-02-14 | Actuator device, actuator band and manufacturing method of actuator band |
JP2019-024082 | 2019-02-14 | ||
PCT/JP2019/008786 WO2019230102A1 (en) | 2018-05-31 | 2019-03-06 | Actuator device, actuator band, and actuator band manufacturing method |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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PCT/JP2019/008786 Continuation WO2019230102A1 (en) | 2018-05-31 | 2019-03-06 | Actuator device, actuator band, and actuator band manufacturing method |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20200347525A1 true US20200347525A1 (en) | 2020-11-05 |
US11952683B2 US11952683B2 (en) | 2024-04-09 |
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US16/935,180 Active 2041-09-23 US11952683B2 (en) | 2018-05-31 | 2020-07-21 | Actuator device, actuator band, and method for manufacturing actuator band |
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US (1) | US11952683B2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019230102A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
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US20220259774A1 (en) * | 2019-05-10 | 2022-08-18 | Board Of Regents, The University Of Texas System | Sheath-run artificial muscles and methods of use thereof |
US11525195B2 (en) * | 2020-05-27 | 2022-12-13 | Jhih Huei Trading Co., Ltd. | Woven textile for bag and bag |
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Also Published As
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US11952683B2 (en) | 2024-04-09 |
WO2019230102A1 (en) | 2019-12-05 |
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